WHY? South Sudan WHY?
"SALVA KIIR HAS BECOME A DICTATOR! A man whom I once admired, and fought for, has become only interested in retaining his power, position, and wealth at all costs. And is Riek Machar any different? Not on your life, so to speak."
By Papa Maury Clark*
Link to web article here.
Some years back when I was in Malakal, I was asked by a friend, a Nuer elder, “ Why are you American people so good, and your leaders so bad?”
I had no answer to that one. I came to realize that much of what was good about American support was seen as given only in the best interests of American power-politics and business, and not in unconditional care for the people.
POWER, PROFIT, and CONTROL were seen by most people with whom I spoke as the only agenda backing anything from America. Even with the NGO's, while an individual might be admired, the feeling was that they were probably acting on their own against orders from their leaders. The anger was, and is, palpable. The sense of the people was that America sought only to dictate to the people and retain tight control over American power.
Fast forward to today: SALVA KIIR HAS BECOME A DICTATOR!
A man whom I once admired, and fought for, has become only interested in retaining his power, position, and wealth at all costs. And is Riek Machar any different? Not on your life, so to speak. The best interests of the nation, the best interests of the people- ALL OF YOU- has been lost in the move to dictatorship. Salva Kiir, and his minions, now own all of South Sudan. Oh, and Riek Machar only wants what Salva Kiir has acquired for himself. Two pirates, two criminals, two assassins in full battle dress, full speed ahead, and to the winner go the spoils.
So I come back to the question asked of me many years back by that Nuer elder in Malakal, paraphrased by me- “WHY ARE THE SOUTH SUDANESE PEOPLE SO GOOD, AND YOUR LEADERS SO BAD? The answer is, sadly, the same- power, control and profit. South Sudanese politicians and rebels are NOT leaders, they are selfish dictators or wannabes, and to hell with anyone who gets in their way.
Why am I pointing out the obvious? Why don't I offer a solution?
Well, perhaps I have no solution, but I am willing to put forth a probable eventuality: One, or the other, of these criminal factions will remain in power until eventually overthrown- maybe years from now. Then, if the people are lucky, a leader will arise from one of the smaller South Sudanese nations who would not be seen as antagonistic to the exhausted Dinka, and Nuer people throughout South Sudan.
Marshall Tito, President of Yugoslavia, comes to mind historically. A dictator, to be sure, but a benevolent dictator. He ruled for thirty five years following WW II. He was not a nice guy, and he had thousands killed to keep the peace. Because, after the defeat of their common enemy- Nazi Germany, the Christian Serbs and the Croatian Muslims returned to tribal warfare, frequently killing over perceived wrongs from centuries earlier.
Tito's solution (which I am not recommending) was simple: Shoot the entire family of anyone who killed someone on the other side. And if the other side killed in revenge, he shot all of them to death as well. But, guess what, after less than a year the Serbs and Croats quit killing each other, and that peace still lasts, more-or-less, to this day. He broke the killing habit.
The individual tribal nations of South Sudan, after winning freedom from their common enemy, Omer Hassan al Bashir, much like Yugoslavia, then returned to ancient tribal animosities. Somebody, somehow, hopefully peacefully, will have to break that habit, but that person will not likely be either Dinka, or Nuer.
Until then all of my South Sudanese people, and family, are in my prayers.
*Papa Maury Clark is a former advisor to the government of South Sudan, retired investment banker/broker, as well as a Called and Commissioned Deacon in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Northwest Washington Synod. He served under Bishops Appointment as pastor of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Maple Valley, Washington in 1990 and 1991, and also served six years on the Synod Council and he has been deeply involved with the people of South Sudan since 1996.